Iran’s naval chief visits Beijing

The leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy’s (IRIN) and the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) met in Beijing on 23 October to strengthen naval relations between both countries, a PLA-sponsored news outlet has reported.

The visit was described by China as a first by an IRIN commander and follows the visit of two PLAN warships to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas in September. That visit, by the PLAN’s Type 052C (Luyang II)-class guided missile destroyer Changchun (150) and Type 054A (Jiangkai II)-class guided missile frigate Changzhou (549), was also described by the IRIN as “unprecedented”.

According to the PLA news outlet, PLAN commander Admiral Wu Shengli told his Iranian counterpart that he would like to deepen naval relations between the two countries by having more port calls, training, and personnel exchanges.